


Lipstick, Blush, or Just a Flush

by ardett



Series: (Behave) Be Brave [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Anxiety, Genderfluid Character, Getting Together, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Misunderstandings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-14
Updated: 2017-03-14
Packaged: 2018-10-05 01:34:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10294397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ardett/pseuds/ardett
Summary: Lance thought they were past this, but he has been pushing boundaries a lot recently. Maybe it's been too much (and maybe he's too much).or: Misunderstandings continue





	

**Author's Note:**

> Here's that Klance sequel I promised.

Lance adjusts his skirt as he sits down. It’s heavy and full of drift and flow, so it lays an odd way underneath him. It’s velvety and warm though, a rare quality that has proved itself useful in space. It had been a gift from the leaders of an ice planet, after he and Blue had helped stop a glacial meltdown. The skirt is part of Lance’s growing collection, one that has grown so large that he’s even felt generous enough to give back some of Allura’s clothes.

He likes his skirts long like this one, where he can sit cross-legged without any worries and where the waistband doesn’t dig into his skin. The communal space he’s found himself in is warm and welcoming, and it fills him with a drowsy contentedness.

Keith is watching something quiet on the holo-screen next to where Lance sat down on the couch. The silence is uncommon for the two of them but Lance doesn’t break it. It doesn’t feel awkward or strained, the way emptiness sometimes sits in his mouth and ears. It feels peaceful.

Lance begins to nod off. The heat is especially high in this room and the weight of it tugs at his eyelids. His hand must slip because he feels the contact between his and Keith’s skin for a moment before Keith pulls backs so violently that the couch skids a couples of inches. Lance jolts awake, adrenaline coursing through his fingertips.

But there is no threat. And he is alone.

(Doubt curls up like a cat in the back of his mind, familiar as an old friend.)

 

Today Lance is wearing a short, bedazzled skirt, iridescent beads picking up the light of whatever room he’s in. It’s a bit showy, both in extravagance and skin, but Lance has fallen in love with it. It reminds him of the odd fashion of k-pop stars that was out of this world but always seemed to work. ( _ Ha, out of this world. _ )

He wanders into the common area again. He doesn’t want to bother anyone but he still desires the presence of the others. He doesn’t even need to engage in conversation or really interact at all. It calms him just listening to the sound of someone else breathing and feeling the heat of another human being (or alien).

Keith’s in there with Hunk, discussing something over a plate of space cookies. Lance nabs one for himself before sitting in the open space next to Keith. Maybe it’s too close, even if it’s just because he wanted to be within grabbing distance of the treats, but it feels like it’s more than that when Keith’s hands curl into fists. Lance throws him a wary glance and then it’s painfully obvious where Keith’s gaze is directed. 

The red paladin is staring at Lance’s legs.

Lance swallows the last bit of cookie in his mouth without chewing enough and it scratches its way down his throat. Yesterday had been the first time he shaved his legs and that had been part of the reason he chose this skirt today, because it did show off more leg than usual. He had absently been rubbing his fingers over that skin all day, marveling at the new smoothness and silently feeling pleased with himself for no accidental nicks. But maybe this was too far. He’s been pushing the boundaries at lot lately and maybe Keith and everyone else has been too nice to say to his face that there’s a limit to what’s acceptable for him to do.

It’s too short to make any difference but Lance tugs his skirt a little farther down anyway.

That seems to snap Keith out of it. His eyes widen and rip away from Lance. He stutters something out to Hunk that sounds like an apology or an excuse and abruptly leaves the room.

(The insidious feeling from the other day digs its claws in and Lance has to screw his eyes shut for a second. He gets it. He’s not going to make a big deal out of it.  _ He’s not. _ )

Lance meets Hunk’s worried look with a smile. “These cookies are really great, buddy! What’d you put in them?”

Hunk pauses for a beat too long before he hesitantly begins to explain the process.

Lance tries to listen, he really does. But part of his mind is busy closing itself back off again and it makes it hard for the rest of him to think.

 

Maybe a break will be good for him, he reasons. He shouldn’t get too used to this. Things change. People’s minds change. It was just a little too much. He gets it.

It's no big deal. He'll just wear pants until some of his hair grows back. It's no big deal.

 

Lance takes advantage of this time by experimenting with makeup. If he's emphasizing subtlety with his clothes, he might as well make other parts of himself stand out.

He gets pretty good with his eyeliner. He can do all sorts of designs now: budding flowers, stars sparking at the corners, even Altean marks under his eyes for a prank.

(Day three of wearing pants again and yeah, Lance actually does like to wear pants sometimes, but now he's doing it because he feels like he  _ has to  _ and it's constricting around more than just his legs.)

Day three and he decides to wear that violently red lipstick that he rarely ever takes out. 

(Whenever he looks in the mirror, it distracts him from looking down.)

 

Lance plops down on the opposite end of the couch from Keith. It’s on purpose, the distance he puts between them. Not too close this time, like the last two times. Logically, he knows that if he really didn’t want to bother Keith or anyone else, he could just hole up in his room, but he’s a pack animal, so here he is again, searching for dependency.

Keith’s eyes dart to Lance’s face and don’t even quite make it up to eye contact before the red paladin is sucking in a breath between his teeth. Lance’s heart sinks as Keith gets up to leave.

It’s impulsive, it’s too impulsive because Lance is as much hurt as angry, but as Keith passes him, he grabs the other paladin’s elbow.

Keith’s whole body goes rigid; Lance can feel it through his fingertips.

“Why are you leaving?” He means it to come out accusatory but it wobbles at the edges.

Keith’s gaze flickers from Lance’s face to the door. “I- uh, I just got to-”

“No, you keep leaving when I come into the room. You think I haven’t noticed?”

“N-no-” Keith’s eyes are fixed firmly on Lance now, like he can’t look away. He’s swallowing hard, throat working around nothing.

Lance’s hold on Keith’s elbow loosens but Keith appears frozen in horror as Lance continues, “I- I thought this was okay. You were the one who told me that I could wear girl’s clothes! You- you don’t just get to change your mind! What more do you want from me? I stopped wearing skirts so you don’t have to look at my weird legs and like, whatever, I don’t have to shave, but I’m really trying here, okay? What do I have to do to make you okay with this?”

Lance has to take a breath to steady himself but Keith’s expression hasn’t changed. He’s still staring at Lance, not at his eyes, Lance realizes, but something else. Hesitantly, Lance prompts, “Keith?”

Keith’s brow furrows. “You don’t usually wear lipstick like that.”

“Like… like what?” The irrational desires to wipe it off flares in Lance’s gut.

“That red.”

“N-no, I don’t.” Lance can feel himself getting flustered. He can’t stop stuttering and the heat from his cheeks is dripping down to pool in his collarbones. “I- I just, cause I stopped wearing skirts-”

Keith gives him a confused look. “Why did you stop wearing skirts?”

“Because you- you were glaring at me the day I shaved my legs! I already said that, you jerk!”

“Glaring? I wasn’t glaring!” Now they’re both near yelling and Lance spars a cursory thought to attracting more attention.

“You were! You were staring at me and I know you had a problem with that stuff before but I thought we were past this!”

“I-” Keith sounds astounded, voice strained. “I never had a problem with you wearing-”

“Oh, now you’re just lying!”

“I am not-”

“Then what is it? Why are you being like this?”

“I-” And Lance finally thinks he’s going to get an answer, faced with bared teeth and frustrated eyes and all the harbingers of rash truth. But then the anger seems to just… drain out of Keith. The red paladin crosses his arms defensively, looking away and muttering, “I don’t need to explain myself to you.”

“Yes, yes, you do.” Lance tries to moderate his volume. Honestly has always come to him naturally, too naturally. “Because if I’m going to keep changing myself so you’re comfortable, I at least deserve an explanation.”

Keith winces. Lance bites his lip to stop anything else from slipping out.

Keith opens his mouth a couple of times before he manages, “It just makes me feel weird… when I see you in that kind of stuff.”

“Okay.” And Lance knew that was what he was getting into but it still hurts to hear out loud. It feels like someone reached into his chest and  _ twisted. _ “W-what do you want me to- I mean, I don’t know-”

“No, no! I can’t believe- I don’t want you to change to make me feel better! That’s stupid, why would you even-” Lance flinches  _ (why would he, why would he try to be apart of this family, why would he even try to fit in) _ and regret mars Keith’s face. “Sorry. I just… It’s not that kind of weird anyway. It’s, uh,” Keith crosses his arms, shoulders hunching. “It’s like, a makes-me-feel-weird-and-hot kind of weird.”

_ Weird and hot?  _ Lance processes that for a second and then he feels his own face start to heat. “Keith, do you-”

“No! Well, yes, but-” A frantic note slips into Keith’s voice. “I had a crush on you before all of this, I swear! It’s not some weird thing where I suddenly think you’re attractive because you’re dressing like a girl. I mean, I do! That’s what I’ve been trying to say, it’s kind of why I’ve been avoiding you, but it’s not- it’s not why I like you. I just didn’t think I had a shot because you were always hitting on Allura and you never seemed to like me that much, and then I thought it would be weird to try and ask you out now because, you know- Just because! And now I made you feel like you needed to change for me and… That’s so fucked up. It’s- it’s not you, Lance. It’s never been you.” Keith coughs into the silence. “Sorry, I didn’t mean for that all to come out. I guess I made things kind of awkward now.” He gives a feeble laugh.

Lance rubs at his eyes and his sleeve comes away with a blot of moisture. “I thought…” He thought any number of things. That Keith thought he was a mistake or there was something wrong with him or he was too much or not enough or, or, or- “You… you really like me? Before all of this? Even after all of this?”

Keith finally,  _ finally _ meets Lance’s eyes again, almost beseechingly. “I know you don’t have a reason to believe me but… yes. I know I can’t justify it or prove it or anything, really. And my word probably isn’t enough-”

“It’s enough.” Lance interrupts breathlessly. “Keith, it’s enough.”

“Sorry-”

“Don’t apologize! Don’t apologize for this.” On an impulse, Lance grabs Keith’s hands. The other boy relaxes into the touch and Lance uses the opportunity to tug Keith down to the couch so they’re sitting knee to knee. “Do you still want to try a relationship? With me?”

Keith’s fingers clench a little tighter. “If you’re sure.” Lance nods. Keith kind of collapses into himself, burying his face in Lance’s shoulder and mumbling into their joined hands, “Can I kiss you? I’ve wanted to kiss you all morning, ever since you came out with that lipstick on.” Keith’s head pops back up. “Is that okay to say? Was that-”

“It’s okay,” Lance laughs. “For quiznak’s sake, just kiss me.”

And Keith does.

When they pull apart, Lance grins at the lipstick smeared on Keith’s lips and says, “Red looks good on you.” His smile only widens at the honest laugh that escapes Keith.

“Don’t ever change, Lance. Don’t ever change anything about yourself.”

“I think I’ve had enough of that for a lifetime.” Lance kisses Keith’s cheek but this time, the lipstick imprint blends in with the other boy’s flush. He thinks this could really make him happy.


End file.
